Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill (UK Parliament constituency)

Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
Burgh constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill in Scotland
Subdivisions of Scotland	North Lanarkshire
Major settlements	Bellshill, Coatbridge, Stepps, Whifflet
Current constituency
Created	2005
Member of Parliament	Steven Bonnar (SNP)
Created from	Coatbridge & Chryston Hamilton North & Bellshill

It was created for the 2005 general election, covering the whole area of the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency and parts of the Hamilton North and Bellshill seat. A small area in the eastern side of Coatbridge lies within the Airdrie and Shotts constituency. Traditionally, the area served by the seat and its predecessors was the safest Labour area in Scotland. Its previous MP was Hugh Gaffney of the Labour Party, who gained the seat at the 2017 general election, succeeding SNP MP Phil Boswell, who had held the seat since the SNP landslide victory in 2015. It was retaken by the SNP's Steven Bonnar at the 2019 general election.

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be subject to boundary changes which will include the loss of Chryston. As a consequence, it will be renamed Coatbridge and Bellshill, to be first contested at the next general election.^[1]

Boundaries

 

Map of boundaries 2010-2024

 

Map of boundaries from 2024

The constituency covers the west of the North Lanarkshire council area, and is predominantly urban. Coatbridge lies in the south of the seat, with the urban/rural mix to the north extending in the eastern and western directions following the directions of commuter rail-lines.

The constituency is formed by the following electoral divisions:

• In full: Gartcosh, Glenboig and Moodiesburn, Stepps, Chryston and Muirhead, Coatbridge South, Coatbridge West, Thorniewood.
• In part: Bellshill, Cumbernauld North, Mossend and Holytown.

Members of Parliament

Tom Clarke of the Scottish Labour held this seat from its creation in 2005, having previously represented the predecessor constituencies of Monklands West and Coatbridge & Chryston since 1982. Clarke lost his seat to Phil Boswell of the Scottish National Party in 2015 with Boswell then losing his seat two years later to Hugh Gaffney of the Labour Party. In 2019 the SNP regained the seat with Steven Bonnar winning over Hugh Gaffney with a majority of 5,642 votes.^[2]

Election		Member^[3]	Party
	2005	Tom Clarke	Labour
	2015	Phil Boswell	Scottish National Party
	2017	Hugh Gaffney	Labour
	2019	Steven Bonnar	Scottish National Party

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

2024 general election: Coatbridge and Bellshill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Steven Bonnar^[4]
	Labour	Frank McNally^[5]
	Scottish Family	Leo Lanahan^[6]
Majority
Turnout

Elections in the 2010s

2019 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill^[7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Steven Bonnar	22,680	47.0	+7.9
	Labour	Hugh Gaffney	17,056	35.4	-7.2
	Conservative	Nathan Wilson	6,113	12.7	-3.5
	Liberal Democrats	David Stevens	1,564	3.2	+1.2
	Scottish Green	Patrick McAleer	808	1.7	New
Majority			5,624	11.6	N/A
Turnout			48,221	66.3	+3.0
	SNP gain from Labour		Swing	+7.6

2017 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Hugh Gaffney	19,193	42.6	+8.7
	SNP	Phil Boswell	17,607	39.1	-17.5
	Conservative	Robyn Halbert	7,318	16.2	+9.9
	Liberal Democrats	David Bennie	922	2.0	+0.9
Majority			1,586	3.5	N/A
Turnout			45,040	63.3	-5.3
	Labour gain from SNP		Swing	+13.1

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill

2015 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill^[9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	SNP	Phil Boswell	28,696	56.6	+39.7
	Labour	Tom Clarke	17,195	33.9	-32.7
	Conservative	Mhairi Fraser	3,209	6.3	-1.8
	UKIP	Scott Cairns	1,049	2.1	New
	Liberal Democrats	Robert Simpson	549	1.1	-7.4
Majority			11,501	22.7	N/A
Turnout			50,698	68.6	+9.2
	SNP gain from Labour		Swing	+36.3

2010 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Clarke	27,728	66.6	+2.1
	SNP	Frances M. McGlinchey	7,014	16.9	+3.3
	Liberal Democrats	Kenneth C. Elder	3,519	8.5	−3.5
	Conservative	Fiona Houston	3,374	8.1	+0.9
Majority			20,714	49.7	−1.2
Turnout			41,635	59.4	+2.5
	Labour hold		Swing	−0.6

Elections in the 2000s

2005 general election: Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Clarke	24,725^[a]	64.5	−4.8
	SNP	Duncan Ross	5,206	13.6	−1.2
	Liberal Democrats	Rodney Ackland	4,605	12.0	+6.4
	Conservative	Lindsay S. Paterson	2,775	7.2	+2.2
	Scottish Socialist	Joan Kinloch	1,033	2.7	−2.4
Majority			19,519	50.9	-3.6
Turnout			38,344	56.9	−3.0
	Labour win (new seat)

Notes

1. This 19,519 majority was the largest numerical majority for any Westminster MP during the 2005-2010 parliament.

References

1. Boundary Commission Scotland 2023 Review Report
2. "Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 16 December 2019.
4. "Just a third of general election candidates selected so far are women". The Herald. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
5. "Labour selections: parliamentary candidates selected so far for the general election". LabourList. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
6. @scotfamparty (13 February 2024). "Leo Lanahan will contest Coatbridge and Bellshill and the next UK Parliamentary General Election. Leo is a GP Practice Manager in North Lanarkshire and a father of five adopted children. He has previously stood for the SFP, including the 2022 Scottish Local Elections" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. "UK Parliamentary Elections 2019". northlanarkshire.gov.uk. North Lanarkshire Council.
8. "Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 16 December 2019.
9. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
10. "Election results". northlanarkshire.gov.uk. 5 May 2015.
11. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
12. . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

55°53′06″N 4°03′36″W / 55.885°N 4.060°W / 55.885; -4.060